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July 28, 1931.

H, FORD 1,816,215

IGNITION SYSTEM Filed Oct. 10, 1928 a aten'ted July 28, 193i than HENRY FORD, OF EEARBOR-N, MICHEGMIY, ASSEG'NOR TU FQI'ESJD INIUTQR COMPANY, 6F DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, A CORIPQRATIQTN 01 DELAWARE Application filed October 10, was. Serial No. 311,494.

Theobject of my invention is to provide an ignition system of simple, durable, and inexpensive construction.

Still a further object of my invention is to provide an ignition device for use in connection with an automobile engine which is cheap to manufacture, easy to assemble and readily replaced or repaired.

Still a further object of my invention is 1 to provide in connection with an ignition device, a locking device which is connected through an armored cable with the'ignition device whereby the lock may be used to ground the circuit or to supply-the proper current to the device.

Still a. further object of my invention is to provide a novel means for connecting the high tension current with the spark plugs of an engine comprising extending arms from the distributor head with solid integral wires running therethrough to position adjacent tothe spark plugs of the engine at which place short flexible connections may be made between the distributor terminals 25 and the spark plugs thereby eliminating the current loss and possibility of shorts such as occurs when flexible insulated lead wires are used between the distributor and the spark plugs.

Still a further object of my invention is to shape the distributor head so that it extends a considerable part of the distance between the head and the spark plugs and then to mold in this head a single wire for each spark plug, these wires being relatively heavy and r gid and having their ends extended from the distributor head whereby the adjacent ends may form the contact for the distributor arm and the remote ends may be connected by very short resilient busars with the spark plugs.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the arrangement, combination, and construction of the various parts of my improved device, as described in the specification, claimed in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of an ignition device constructed in accordance with my invention, the device being installed on an automobile, parts being broken away to better illustrate the construction.

Figure 2 shows a top or plan view of the distributor with the head removed thereby exposing the breaker mechanism used.

Figure 3 shows a top or plan or" my distributor, the one end being broken away and shown in section to better illustrate the construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, it have indicated an automobile having the radiator shell 10, hood l1, dash 12, instrument board or panel 13, gas tank 14, and an engine having the cylinder head 15. This cylinder head is held in place by bolt or studs and nuts 16. Spark plugs 17 are mounted in the cylinder head 15 in the ordinary manner.-

Mounted on this cylinder head is my im-' proved ignition device or distributor head.

The housing 18 of the distributor has a projecting sleeve or pilot which extends into the cylinder head 15 and is locked therein by a set screw 19 having the lock nut 20, the set screw extending into an annular groove in the pilot of housing 18.

Mounted on the dash 12 of the vehicle is a lock switch l4: which is operated-b the lock mounted on the instrument oard 13. This locking switch 44 is constructed so that when it is locked, then the lead wire therefrom will be grounded and so that when it is in unlocked position then the lead wire therefrom will be connected through a wire 46 with the coil 47. The switch and lock, in the form of the device here shown, are con nected through a .tlexibleshaft 48 which is housed in an armoured conduit 49 extending between the dash l2 and the instrument board 13. The lead wire from the switch 44: extends through the flexible shaft 48.

The flexible shaft 48 is joined to a hardened steel rigid tube 51 which is screwed into the housing 18 at 52 and lays along the cylinder head 15. This tube has a lug projecting therefrom which is engaged by one of the bolts or nuts 16 whereby the lead wire is protected against unauthorized tamperin This steel tube .51 makes it about impossible to cut the lead wire by using a hatchet or till Ill

chisel with the top of the cylinde' an anvil and has the further turret v ing it necessary to unscrew the bolt or nut 16 and to unscrew the from the housing 18 in order distributor assembly the c A breaker assembly supper is rotatably mounted in he u 18 and has an i tended 1 cm which ball. at e end thereo signed to out and to be connected to a wh reby breaker ec "tenrlri wardly extendi. i bore therethrough designed to .recer, justing screw 71. @ne. side of the slot-ted so that clamping screw 72 screwed down to lock the adjusting SL1. very tightly in place when it has been prop erly adjusted contact point 73 is weld d or otherwise secured to the end of the ing screw 71.

A segment of insulating material 74 such as fibre is riveted as at 75 to the plate 65. A stud 76 extends down through the insulating segment 74 through a properly placed notch in the plate 65, and the end of the lead wire is secured to the lower end of this stud 76., second stud 76A is similarly secured in the insulating segment 74 and the breaker arm 77 is journalled thereon. Aspring 78 cooperates with the studs 76 and 7 6A to yielding 1y urge the arm 7 7 toward the adjusting screw 71. The arm 77 has a second contact 78 thereon which contacts with the contact 73 and the adjusting screw 71 so that a circuit may be completed from the lead wire to the ground through the plate 65 and the housing 18 when the breaker arm is in position with the contacts 73 in contact with each other A distributor shaft is rotatably mounted in the housing 18 and has a shoulder near its outer end which is bored out and threaded to receive the set screw 25 whereby a cam 79 may be locked from rotation relative to the distributor shaft by its engagement with .the set screw and the shoulder. The adjacent surfaces of the cam and shoulder may be roughened if desired to insure against accidental rotation of the cam on the distributor shaft The arm 77 has a fibre cam contact 80 which is secured thereto-by means of rivets whereby the arm 77 is insulated from the cam 79 but still its movements may be gov erned thereby.

The upper end of the cam 79 is contracted to form a shoulder and a distributor arm 83 which is moulded from insulating material is slipped down over this constricted portion osition istributor correspond n on the under surface or v: Q i w w yd n" i031. 0o WliGlGUj soil @1111 ed position and must dis :iloutor no the heir extends at the sate the cam 78 actuate the breaker arm separate the con- 1 win toget ibutor 88 tension cur- 79 wiii also rotate the dis to control the output of hi rent from the distributor.

The head proper er the distributor is formed in two parts, one of them being the body or" the distributor casing to which I have given the reference numeral 89 which is generally of hollow cylindrical shape and which has arms 90 projecting in either-direction theretrom. These arms 90 and the distributor head body 89 have lead wires 91 moulded in the material thereon and extended from spaced positions adjacent to the hollow center of the body through the arms 90. Each lead wire extends from position within the body where it can coact with the distributor arm out through an arm and its outer end is then turned upwardly to extend out of the arm at 92.

These ends 92 form a contact for short leaf spring bus-bars 93 which connect these contacts 92 with the adjacent spark plugs 17 arm to position as near as is practical to the Bit appropriate spark plug. The inner ends of these wires 91 are also so arranged that they extend slightly into the interior of thebody 89 in symmetrically spaced positions therein so the distributor arm may pass each of these inwardly extending ends during each revolution thereby supplying the high tension current to the spark plugs 17. These wires 91 are relatively heavy and rigid and extend a considerable part of the length of the head toward the spark plug, so that only very short resilient bus-bars need be used to complete the connection between the spark plugs and the distributor.

The bus-bars 93 are each provided with notches in either end thereof designed to enter annular channels in the ends of the contacts 92 and similar channels in the top of the spark plugs 17 whereby the inherent resili- (ill ency of these bus-bars due to the fact that they are of greater length than the straight line distance between said contact and the into the bottom thereof in position so that the carbon will contact with the upwardly extending strip 88 of the distributor arm 83..

The contact sleeve96 is designed to receive.

the lead-in wire 98 which extends from the bottom of the coil 47 to this contact 96.

The body member 89 and the cap 94. are detachably secured together and to the housing 18 by means of spring fingers 99 which are journalled at their lower ends on the pins 100 which in turn are riveted into the ears 101 which extend outwardly onopposite sides of the housing 18. The tops of these spring fingers 99 are bent over at l02 to engage the top of the cap 9% to thereby hold the cap and body on the housing 18. The body 89 is arranged so it can only be installed on the housing in one position through a slot in the lower edge of the body 89 coacting with a locating pin 103 which extends upwardly from the housing 18.

Among the many advantages arising from the use of my improved construction, it should be specifically pointed out that with my improved device it is possible to lock an automobile by means ofan armored lead wire connected to the distributor in such a way that several parts have to be displaced or replaced in order to drive away the automobile unlawfully. For instance, if it is desired to change the distributor it is necessary to both remove the set screw 20 and to remove the nut 16 in order to loosen up the sleeve 51. This makes the problem of tampering much more difficult.

Still a further advantage results from the use of my improved distributor head wherein the head is extended by means of arms to such position that the contacts on these arms are so close'to the spark plugs that short spring bus-bars can be used and the danger of shorts such as often occur when flexible insulated lead wires are used between the distributor and the spark plug is reduced to practically nothing.

Still a further advantage results from the use of my improved distributor head in that I am enabled to eliminate all flexible insulated lead wires and to make a single piece of wire-take the place of the inside and outside coutactsfor a distributor head and also to eliminate the major portion of the lead wires from the distributor to the spark plugs.

Still a further advantage results from ease in assembling and disassembling together with the cheapness with which it may be manufactured.

Some changes may be made in the arrangement, construction, and combination of the various parts of my improved device without departing from the spirit of my inve ntion and it is my intention to cover by my claims such changes as may reasonably be included within the scope thereof.

it claim as-my invention:

1. in a device of the character described,-

a distributor having a housing, a head secured thereto having integral arms extend ing therefrom, a distributor arm mounted to rotate within said head, a lead wire inserted in thearms and head in such position that the inner end of said wire may receive current from the distributor arm and the outer end of said wire may form a connector for a spark plug, and a detachable cap for said head having means therein adapted to conduct current. to the distributor arm.

2. in a device of the character described. a distributor having a housing, an open ended hollow cylindrical. head secured thereto having integral arms extending therefrom. a distributor arm mounted to rotate within said head, lead wires inserted in the arms and head in such position that the inner ends of said wires may receive current from the distributor arm and the outer ends of said wires may form a connector for a spark plug, and a detachable cap for said head having a sleeve therein adapted to conduct current to the distributor arm.

3. in a device of the character described, a distributor having a housing, a head secured thereto having integral arms extending therefrom, a distributor arm mounted to rotate within said head, a lead wire inserted in the head and arms in such position that the inner end of said wire may receive current from the distributor arm and the outer ends of said wire may extend from one of the first described arms, and an annular channel formed in the outer end of said lead wire to receive a flexible bus-bar extending from a spark plug.

4. In a device of the character described. a distributor having a housing, a distributor head secured thereto having integral arms extending therefrom, lead wires extending from said arm having annular channels therein, and flexible bus-bars having forked ends adapted to be resiliently secured in said channels.

5. In a device of the character described, a distributor having a housing, an open endedhollow cylindrical head secured thereto having integral arms extending therefrom, a distributor arm mounted to rotate within said head, a plurality of spark plugs, lead wires molded in said head and armsrin such position that the inner ends of said wires may receive current from the distributor arm and the outer ends of said wires may extend to position adjacent to the spark plugs, a detachable cap for said head having means adapted to conduct current to the distributor arm, and bus-bars secured to the outer end of said lead Wires for conducting current to thespark plugs.

6'. A distributor consisting of, a housing having a distributor arm rotatably mounted therein, a distributor head detachably secured to said housing forming an enclosure for said distributor arm, integral conductor arms extending from said head to positions spaced on either side of said distributor said arms being supported Wholly by said distributor head, and current conductors molded in said head andconductor arms so as to conduct current from said distributor arm to theouter ends of said conductor arms.

7. A, distributor consisting of, a housing having a distributor arm rotatably mounted therein, an annular distributor head detachably secured to said housing forming an enclosure for said distributor arm, integral conductor arms extending radially from said head to positions spaced from said distributor said conductor arms being supported wholly by said distributor head, and current conductors molded in said head and conductor arms so as to conduct current from said distributor arm to the outer ends of said conductor arms.

8. A distributor consisting of, a housing having a distributor arm rotatably mounted therein, an annular distributor head detach ably secured to saidhousing forming an enclosure for the distributor arm, a pair of integral conductor arms extending radially from the opposite-sides of said head, and current conductors molded in said head and arms so as to conduct current from said distributor arm to the outer ends of said conductor arms.

9. A distributor head adapted to be detachably secured to a distributor, integral conductor arms extending from said head to positions spaced therefrom, said arms being supported wholly by said distributor head, and current conductors molded in saidhead and conductor arms so as to conduct current from said distributor arm to the outer ends of saidconductor arms.

10. In a device of the character described, an engine having a row of spark plugs secured therein, a distributor disposed adjacent to the intermediate portion of said row, a distributor head detachably secured to said distributor, integral conductor arms extending from said head substantially parallel to said row of spark plugs, conductors secured in said head and arms to conduct current emme head, conductors secured in said head and arms to conduct current from the distributor to positions adjacent to each spark plug, and flexible bus-bars connecting each spark plug with the adjacent conductor.

12.' In a device of the character described, an engine having a row of spark plugs secured therein, a-distributor disposed adjacent to the intermediate portion of said row, a distributor head detachably secured to said distributor and supported Wholly thereby forming an enclosure for the rotating distributor arm; integral conductor arms extending from said head substantially parallel to said row of spark plugs said conductor arms being supported wholly by said distributor head, current conductors secured in said head and arms to conduct current from the distributor arm to position adjacent to each spark plug, and flexible bus-bars connecting each spark plug with the adjacent conductor.

September 20, 1928.

HENRY FORD. 

